July 4th Cupcake Decorating Ideas

Image for Pinterest. Top has image of finished 4th of July cupcakes middle is text layer with name of recipe and bottom is red white and blue cupcakes without frosting

Image for pinterest. Collage of three photos showing red white and blue cupcakes and text on the bottom stating 4th of July Cupcakes

Don't forget these festive and easy 4th of July Cupcakes for your backyard parties and festivities! They start with a cake mix and turn into festive red, white and blue treats perfect for your dessert table for the holidays.

Red white and blue cupcake with white frosting and sprinkles in a chevron blue and white cupcake liner

How cute are these 4th of July cupcakes? They are a patriotic red, white and blue dessert that is perfect for your July 4th celebration!

I love to make holiday-themed desserts but I also want to keep things easy. The last thing I want to do is get stressed out trying to make some complicated dessert! I want to be outside with the family sipping lemonade and enjoying a burger with some macaroni salad and not inside worried about making and frosting cupcakes.

Well these July 4th cupcakes look complicated, but they are so easy to make because we are using boxed cake mix and just fancying it up. The cupcakes look like patriotic pinwheels with three separate colors and I promise it's not hard to do!

Of course, you have to frost them and add some fun sprinkles – that's the finishing touch! These cake mix cupcakes are so fun – you are going to love them!

How to Make the Cupcake Batter

You will need one box of white cake mix. You want the batter very white so the red, white and blue colors really pop. Here's what you will need to make it:

White cake mix
Room temperature egg whites
Buttermilk
Vegetable or canola oil
Red food coloring
Blue food coloring

Using egg whites instead of whole eggs with yolks will give you that pristine white batter. If you use whole eggs, your batter will be more yellow and your colors may not be as vibrant.

Also, using room temperature egg whites will make it a lot easier to mix the batter. Just let them sit out at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before you make the batter.

Overhead mixer mixing bowl with cake mix oil eggs and beater attached to mixer

Overhead mixer bowl with mixed cake mix and overhead beater attached to mixer

Once you have your plain white cupcake batter, divide it evenly between three bowls.

Add red food coloring to one bowl and blue food coloring to another bowl. Leave the third bowl plain white. Stir until the colored batters are evenly colored.

Transfer the three different batters to pastry bags. This will make it very easy to pipe the batter into the cupcake liners.

How to Make Cupcakes with Three Different Colors

Once you have your batter in the pastry bags you're ready to fill the cupcake liners. If you don't have pastry bags, simply use a gallon size plastic resealable bag and cut the tip off of it.

In order to make three distinct colors for the cupcakes you will need a helper. It helps to have two people to pipe the batter into the liners.

One person can hold one bag and the other person can hold two bags. At the same time, squeeze equal amounts of all three colors into the liners. Doing it this way will make it easier to keep the colors separate so they don't mix together.

Overhead image with three square bowls one with white cake mix, one with red cake mix and one with blue cake mix. Muffin pan with white liners in it behind that.

Overhead image cups holding bags of red, white and blue cake mix and muffin pan with white liners behind it.

Bake and Decorate the Cupcakes!

Bake the cupcakes for 12 to 14 minutes at 350°F. Cool them completely on a wire rack before you decorate them.

For the decoration, you can use a frosting of your choice and pipe it onto each cupcake. I like to use one that is white so the sprinkles really stand out!

How far in advance can you make cupcakes?

For these 4th of July cupcakes, you can make and bake the cupcakes up to a day in advance. The colors will fade over time, so be sure to tightly wrap them and keep them out of sunlight.

Wait to frost them until the day you plan to serve them. That way the frosting will be nice and creamy – it will dry out if you frost them too far in advance.

Can you freeze the cupcakes?

You can freeze the unfrosted cupcakes, too, but the colors may fade and not be as vibrant. Because of that I don't recommend freezing them in advance.

Recipe Variations

The red, white and blue is perfect for 4th of July and Memorial Day, but you can easily switch up the colors for any holiday! Just switch up the food coloring:

Red, green and white for Christmas
Red, pink and white for Valentine's Day
Orange, yellow and white for Halloween
Pink, yellow and light green for Easter
Use your favorite sports team colors for game-day!

When you serve a batch of these patriotic cupcakes for your July 4th celebration everyone will go crazy for them! They are so cute and delicious, too – I know you will love them!

Multiple 4th of July Cupcakes with red white and blue cake in a chevron blue and white cupcake liner and white frosting with sprinkles on a white background

More Recipes for 4th of July

Now that you have dessert covered with these cute 4th of July cupcakes, here are a few more recipes you might want to try, too!

Every party needs a dip and my easy Ranch Dip is so easy to make! Serve it with chips, crackers, and veggies for an easy appetizer!
Bean Salad is a delicious and easy side dish recipe that is perfect for potlucks, picnics, holidays and BBQ's! It has five different types of beans, corn, pepper and a delicious homemade dressing.
Our summer celebrations are not complete without a bowl of Homemade Potato Salad – this easy side dish is always a hit!
Berry Cheesecake Crumble Bars combine cheesecake with a crumble for a perfect dessert bar!
Red, White and Blue Ice Cream is an easy no-churn recipe that is perfect for patriotic celebrations!
July 4th Mini Cheesecakes are little bite-sized cheesecakes with a sour cream topping. Decorate them with sprinkles for a festive patriotic dessert.

Did you try the recipe? Rate it, please!!!? Seriously though a five-star rating below will make my day! If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!!

▢ 15.25 oz box white cake mix
▢ 4 large egg whites room temperature **see tip below
▢ 1 c. buttermilk
▢ ⅓ c. vegetable or canola oil
▢ Red and blue food coloring
▢ Frosting your favorite
▢ Decorations

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and add cupcake liners to pan.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cake mix, egg whites, buttermilk, and oil. Mix on low until it is smooth, turn up mixer to medium and beat for 2 minutes.
Divide batter into 3 bowls, you should have about 1 ¼ cups of batter in each bowl
Color one with red and one with blue food coloring.
Transfer each color of batter to a disposable decorator bag to make it easier to fill cupcakes
Squeeze equal amounts of each color of batter into cupcake liners. ** see tip below
Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely on a wire rack.
Decorate with frosting of your choice, and add sprinkles or other decorations

Nutrition is calculated without the frosting.
Eggs: You can also use whole eggs, the batter will be a little more yellow.
If you don't have pastry bags, simply use a gallon size plastic resealable bag and cut the tip off of it.
It's easier if you have another person helping you to squeeze the batter at the same time into the liner. One person will squeeze two of the bags and the second person will squeeze the third bag at the same time to fill the muffin cups with all three colors at the sametime. This prevents it from spreading out and mixing into each other.

Calories: 104 kcal (5%) , Carbohydrates: 15 g (5%) , Protein: 2 g (4%) , Fat: 4 g (6%) , Saturated Fat: 3 g (19%) , Cholesterol: 1 mg , Sodium: 143 mg (6%) , Potassium: 33 mg (1%) , Fiber: 1 g (4%) , Sugar: 8 g (9%) , Vitamin A: 16 IU , Calcium: 51 mg (5%) , Iron: 1 mg (6%)